Miniature airplane



Nov. 22, 1932. e. o. WANNER 1,388,840

MINIATURE AIRPLANE Filed Jan. 28, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m F/c. 3

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A TTORNEY 1932- e. D. WANNER 1,338,840

' MINIATURE AIRPLANE Filed Jan. 28, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F/a. 7 I 8 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 22, 1932 PATENT OFFICE GEORGE D. WANNER, OF DAYTON, OHIO MINIATURE AIRPLANE Application filed January 28, 1929. Serial No. 335,623.

This invention relates to improvements in miniature airplanes.

The objects attained in the invention consist in providing material and parts for the airplane that can readily be assembled by the user, and which will afford means for instructing the user in the fundamentals of airplane construction and operation.

To this end the airplane as herein set forth forms part of educational subject matter for manual training in the home and school, printed instructions including suitable illustrations being furnished with the material as aids to the user for constructing the airplane. As a toy the improved airplane has a wide range of performance having means of adjustment for flying without power, as a glider, and also for straight away, circle and stunt flying by power.

In the accompanying drawings which serve for illustrating the invention:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the airplane; Fig.

2 is a detail plan view of the wing 5 construction;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the fuselage;

Figs. 45 are face assemblies;

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the propeller;

Figs. 78 are views illustrating adjustments of the wings and tail surfaces;

Fig. 9 is a view illustrating winding of the motor; Fig. 10 is a group view of devices for attaching the propeller, wings, and motor to the fuselage;

Figs. 11-12 are views illustrating the performance of the airplane; and

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the wing supporting brackets.

As shown in the drawings the main structure of the airplane consists of the fuselage 1, wings 2, propeller 3, horizontal tail surface or plane 4, vertical tail surface or rudder 5, and motor 6.

The wing structure consists of the wing covering indicated by 2, which may be of any suitable material, such as tissue paper, fore and aft spars 7, and ribs 8 made preferably of detail views of the tail surbalsa wood, or its equivalent, for lightness 93 and tensile strength. The spars and ribs are cemented to the wing covers and one part to another at the joints for stiffening and strengthening the construction.

The horizontal tail surface structure consists of the cover indicated by 4: and the bounding wire 9. The vertical tail surface or rudder structure consists of the cover 5 and bounding wire 10. The bounding wires 910 consist of spring wire and are cemented, preferably along their outer edges to the covers 4t5 for keeping the covers taut and for stiffening the structures.

The fuselage is a straight piece of balsa wood, rectangular in cross section, and tapered at 111 at its rear end.

The propeller is also constructed of balsa wood, being cut to the curvature and pro portions of propellers for commercial air- 3 planes.

The propeller is supported on the fuselage by a bearing 11 and shaft 12, the bearing being anchored on the fuselage by a spur a J imbcdded in the wood, the base being secured with cement. Shaft 12 is supported in bearing 11, passing through the propeller, and is secured with cement. The rear end of the shaft has an eyelet 12a to which the forward end of the motor 6, consisting of a rubber. band, is connected, the opposite end of the band being connected to a hook 13 fixed on the fuselage with cement and a spur b. A can, consisting of a clip 14 spans the fuselage and the rubber band and is secured to the fuselage with cement, serving for preventing lateral displacement of the motor at its inter mediate portion.

The wings are attached to the fuselage by brackets 17-18, part 17 being formed of spring wire and consisting of a rectangular shaped recess 19 which is open upward for embracing the fuselage, the frictional engagement serving to hold the bracket in place, m The opposite arms 20 are provided with spurs c which are anchored in the front spars 7; the arms being cemented to the spars for supporting the wings at the front. Part 18 has a recess 22 for embracing the fuselage similar to part 17, and arms 23-244 tion of flight.

extended downward and outward and connected to rear spars 7 by spurs -d similar to part 17 The horizontal tail surface 4 is cemented to the under side of the fuselage at the contact points g-h between the fuselage and the bounding wire 9.

The vertical tail surface 5 is secured to the fuselage by a spur g and tang -h formed by the opposite ends of the bounding wire 10, the tang being secured with cement.

Figs. 78 illustrate adjustments of the wings and rudder for stabilizing the toy in flight, one wing being lowered at its leading edge to compensate for the torque of the motor, which tends to divert the airplane from a straight away course. The action of the propeller also tends to deflect the direc- Suitable adjustments of the wings and the rudder will serve for compensating for the deflections and also for varying the character of the performance.

For operating the airplane with power the motor is wound as illustrated in Fig. 9, the tension of the rubber band in unwinding acting to drive the propeller at the required speed for sustained flight as illustrated in Fig. 12.

For operating without power, or gliding,

' 6 as illustrated in Fig. 11, the airplane will perform variably according to the wind. In a high wind the performance will be eccentric and may be of prolonged duration.

The airplane can readily be adjusted for circle, loop and other stunt flying by observing the effect of the adjustments of the wings and rudder upon the performance and making the ad ustments accordingly.

I claim as my invention: 1. In a miniature airplane, an elongated member constituting a fuselage, separate wings arranged on opposite sides of said 3. In a miniature airplane, an elongated member constituting a fuselage, separate wings arranged on opposite sides of said fuselage, and a wing supporting bracket having a U-shaped intermediate portion frictionally engaging said fuselage and having laterally extending arms provided at their outer ends with spurs to enter the respective wings, said arms being cemented to said wings.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

GEORGE D. WANNER.

fuselage, and a bracket having a recessed portion to receive said fuselage and frictionally engage the same and having laterally extending arms secured to the respective Wings to support the same in spaced relation to said fuselage, said arms being bendable to ixdjust said wings with relation to said fuseage.

2. In a miniature airplane, an elongated member constituting a fuselage, separate wings arranged on opposite sides of said fuselage, wing supporting brackets having U-shaped portions to receive and frictionally engage said fuselage, one of said brackets having bendable arms extending laterally from the U-shaped portion thereof and secured to the respective wings near the forward edges thereof, the other of said brackets having parts extending downwardly from said U-shaped portion, and bendable arms extending laterally from said parts and con- .nected with the respective wings near the rear edges thereof. 

